coot Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Every so often I read comments referencing this but without any description of what it is. Comments welcome. Link to comment
esldude Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 A myth imo. And always keep in mind: Cognitive biases, like seeing optical illusions are a sign of a normally functioning brain. We all have them, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it is something that affects our objective evaluation of reality. Link to comment
fas42 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Interesting thread that talks about it, https://www.stereophile.com/content/can-you-describe-mcintosh-sound-i-dont-mean-apple-macs-1. I appreciated the "counter example", Quote If you want absolutely perfect sound reproduction from 20 HZ to 20Khz, with incredible realism and tonal purity and bass so realistic it has to be heard to believe it, listen to the newest Bryston power amp, the $3500 3B-SST2. I think it is the best power amplifier I have ever personally heard, and that includes a number of highly-rated amps costing over $6000 that can't touch it! That pretty well nails it - anything less than this is not doing your listening pleasure any favours ... Link to comment
Nordkapp Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Thats easy......veiled. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 McIntosh sound is like an antidote to the noises of a neonatal care facility AudioDoctor 1 Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 Clear, clean, beautiful, present, relaxing... No electron left behind. Link to comment
Popular Post Axial Posted January 23, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 23, 2019 Solid, reliable, proven, historic, musical, ... Durable and atmospheric. ...Good engineering. beerandmusic and AudioDoctor 2 Sound Matters Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 1 minute ago, Axial said: Solid, reliable, proven, historic, musical, ... I'll agree with that. beerandmusic 1 No electron left behind. Link to comment
Popular Post Ralf11 Posted January 23, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 23, 2019 McIntosh sound is what you want when the Blue Light of MQA is just not enuff Teresa, Nordkapp, crenca and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment
Popular Post beerandmusic Posted January 23, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 23, 2019 I was very curious myself as imho, no other amplifier sounds like a mcintosh. Instruments seem in their own space and has a deep and wide soundstage. It is warm and tubelike in comparison to other amps. Pass labs threshold sounded closest to me than any of over 2 dozen amps i tried to come even close to comparing...but none bested the mcintosh (at least in a 5K budget or less). it also is well known for giving full range even at very low volume (i believe that is due to autoformers, not sure). I did ask an amplifier designer what he believed was in the circuitry that made mcintosh stand out from others...his response was that the magic to house sound is in the windings....that may or may not be true, but that is what he told me.... AudioDoctor, PeterG and fas42 3 Link to comment
Rexp Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 Mcintosh solid state amps used to have an overly warm sound years ago, they're pretty neutral now, not sure exactly when things improved. Link to comment
mav52 Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 The sound one gets is also dependent on whats connected to the Mac Amps. From the Mac gear I've been around, I do like what Axial posted " Solid, reliable, proven, historic, musical, ... "" The Truth Is Out There Link to comment
gmgraves Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 On 1/22/2019 at 1:46 PM, coot said: Every so often I read comments referencing this but without any description of what it is. Comments welcome. I will relate an anecdote to answer that. A few years ago, when Martin-Logan released their CLX electrostatic speakers, I went some distance to an M-L dealer to hear them the first day they were available. The M-L "guy" was there and he and the store staff had spent the day setting them up optimally. I thought (and still do) that they were the best sounding, most accurate speakers that I had ever heard. They were being powered by a pair of Classe mono block amps. Sometime later, I heard that our local Magnolia Hi-Fi (Best Buy) had a pair of CLXs in their local store. so I grabbed an audiophile buddy and we went to hear them. They had them set-up in their largest showroom and had them working in concert with a pair of 15" M-L subwoofers. The CLX's were being powered by a pair of McIntosh MC301 solid-state mono-block amps. The speakers sounded terrible! They were mushy, ill-defined and somewhat distorted. I listed for a few moments unable to understand how anybody could make such a perfect pair of transducers as the CLXs sound so bad. The only part of the system that sounded OK was the bass which was being powered by the two subs' own amps. I left the room after a few minutes and went to another room where I heard a pair of of M-L's hybrid ESLs (I don't remember the model, but the attendant said they were about $15K a a pair. They were the previous generation, not the current generation) driven, by, of all things, a Marantz Integrated. The sound was much better than the in the CLX room. It didn't go as deep, of course, but the sound was clean and tight with good transients, unlike in the CLX room. The problem, I suspect, is McIntosh's insistence on using transformers (they call them "Autotransformers") in their amplifiers. One of the advantages that SS designs might have over their tube counterparts, is that they eliminate transformers! Clearly, the M-L CLX's didn't like them! I would be wary of buying SS amps with transformers, my current speakers might be OK them, but what if I decided to buy another speaker that don't like the "autotransformers in the output stage of my amp? George Link to comment
Nordkapp Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 22 minutes ago, gmgraves said: I will relate an anecdote to answer that. A few years ago, when Martin-Logan released their CLX electrostatic speakers, I went some distance to an M-L dealer to hear them the first day they were available. The M-L "guy" was there and he and the store staff had spent the day setting them up optimally. I thought (and still do) that they were the best sounding, most accurate speakers that I had ever heard. They were being powered by a pair of Classe mono block amps. Sometime later, I heard that our local Magnolia Hi-Fi (Best Buy) had a pair of CLXs in their local store. so I grabbed an audiophile buddy and we went to hear them. They had them set-up in their largest showroom and had them working in concert with a pair of 15" M-L subwoofers. The CLX's were being powered by a pair of McIntosh MC301 solid-state mono-block amps. The speakers sounded terrible! They were mushy, ill-defined and somewhat distorted. I listed for a few moments unable to understand how anybody could make such a perfect pair of transducers as the CLXs sound so bad. The only part of the system that sounded OK was the bass which was being powered by the two subs' own amps. I left the room after a few minutes and went to another room where I heard a pair of of M-L's hybrid ESLs (I don't remember the model, but the attendant said they were about $15K a a pair. They were the previous generation, not the current generation) driven, by, of all things, a Marantz Integrated. The sound was much better than the in the CLX room. It didn't go as deep, of course, but the sound was clean and tight with good transients, unlike in the CLX room. The problem, I suspect, is McIntosh's insistence on using transformers (they call them "Autotransformers") in their amplifiers. One of the advantages that SS designs might have over their tube counterparts, is that they eliminate transformers! Clearly, the M-L CLX's didn't like them! I would be wary of buying SS amps with transformers, my current speakers might be OK them, but what if I decided to buy another speaker that don't like the "autotransformers in the output stage of my amp? Veiled.....autoformers.... Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 MuckIntosh ?? lucretius 1 Link to comment
Popular Post AudioDoctor Posted January 24, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 24, 2019 On 1/22/2019 at 5:17 PM, Ralf11 said: McIntosh sound is like an antidote to the noises of a neonatal care facility So, the sound of this forum on most days? Ralf11, Nordkapp and mav52 1 1 1 No electron left behind. Link to comment
Nordkapp Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 23 hours ago, Axial said: Solid, reliable, proven, historic, musical, ... Durable With all due respect....how does something sound "reliable, proven, historic, durable? Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Nordkapp said: With all due respect....how does something sound "reliable, proven, historic, durable? Durable I am not really too sure of, but reliable, proven, and historic means you know what you're getting when you buy a piece of McIntosh gear. That's how I see it anyway. No electron left behind. Link to comment
Axial Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Yes, exactly that. And "durable" means long lasting, years of well serviced by the company who cares. ...Durable in that sense. ...Like enduring, sounds. Sound Matters Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 the question was about the sound of those terms thus, durable means it makes a good solid thunk noise when you slam it into a speaker or DAC Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 12 minutes ago, Ralf11 said: the question was about the sound of those terms thus, durable means it makes a good solid thunk noise when you slam it into a speaker or DAC Or drop it on your toe... Axial 1 No electron left behind. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 is that a podiatrist joke? Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 53 minutes ago, Ralf11 said: is that a podiatrist joke? Maybe to the podiatrist but it wasn't to me... No electron left behind. Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 veiled, murky, trash, mushy, etc... Come by and tell me my McIntosh equipment sounds like that. No electron left behind. Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 17 hours ago, Rexp said: Mcintosh solid state amps used to have an overly warm sound years ago, they're pretty neutral now, not sure exactly when things improved. I know with their latest round of new gear they made a real effort to up the quality of both the sound and parts inside. No electron left behind. Link to comment
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